Client ID: [Client ID] - Home Affairs

[Date of email]

Dear [First name] [Last name] Sent to email address [email address]

In correspondence to the Department quote:

Client Name: [First name] [Last name] Client ID: [Client ID] Request ID: [Request ID]

Information regarding your citizenship ceremony

The Department of Home Affairs has introduced online Australian citizenship ceremonies while COVID-19 safety measure are in place. Citizenship candidates can make the citizenship pledge and become a citizen via a web-based video conference. These ceremonies will be conducted using the video conferencing application Webex. We are sending you this email to ask if you would like to participate in an online ceremony in the coming weeks. Migration agents

If you have received this email because you are listed as the primary contact for an applicant for Australian citizenship, forward this email to your client to consider if they want to participate. They will need to provide their personal email address if they want to participate in an online ceremony. The invitation will be sent directly to them.

How to register your interest Read the information below and register your interest in an online ceremony by responding to this email within seven days of receiving this email. You will be invited to an online ceremony as soon as possible.

If you do not want to attend an online ceremony you do not need to take any action. In-person citizenship ceremonies are being reintroduced across a number of jurisdictions following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Technology requirements you will need for an online ceremony To be eligible to participate in an online ceremony, you must have:

a device with video and audio accessibility.

the ability to use the ‘Cisco Webex Meetings’ application, which is available

for mobile phones, tablets, personal computers and laptops.

If using your mobile phone or tablet, download the ‘Cisco Webex Meetings’ application from the Apple App Store or Google Play (for Android). If you have the option, we suggest that during the ceremony your device is connected to Wi-Fi. If using a laptop or personal computer, download the ‘Cisco Webex Meetings’ Desktop App from the following link: https://homeaffairs.webex.com/webappng/sites/homeaffairs/dashboard/download

About the ceremony We will provide you with a date and time for your ceremony. Online ceremonies are conducted during business hours and take approximately 15 minutes. You will need to show photo identification such as a driver licence or passport. For privacy reasons, digital recording of your virtual citizenship ceremony is not permitted. Your ceremony will be conducted on a one-on-one basis or in family groups. If you want to attend your ceremony with a family member who has been approved citizenship, respond to this email with that person’s full name and date of birth and if known, a client ID. This will enable the Department to arrange a joint ceremony. You will be required to repeat the Citizenship Pledge (below) out loud to the Presiding Officer. From this time forward, under God*, I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey. *you may choose whether or not to use the words ‘under God’ Australian citizenship certificate

You will receive your citizenship certificate by registered post within three weeks after your online ceremony.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Citizenship and TIS Branch

Citizenship and Multicultural Programs Division

Citizenship and Social Cohesion Group

Department of Home Affairs

Meeting body template:

Ceremony Details:

Date: XX

Time: XX

The Department of Home Affairs invites you to participate in a virtual Australian citizenship

ceremony to make the citizenship pledge by video.

The ceremony will take approximately 15 minutes.

Unable to attend your ceremony

Due to high demand, there are limited opportunities to reschedule your virtual citizenship

ceremony. We encourage you to attend at the specified time. Ceremonies can only be

conducted during business hours.

If you are unable to attend the ceremony, or you are unable to access a device with audio

and video facilities, please respond to this email address advising your unavailability and

decline the meeting invitation.

Preparation for your ceremony

Identity Documents

Before your ceremony, have your photo identification document ready, such as your driver

licence or passport. You will show this document to your presiding officer at the start of

your ceremony.

Accessing Webex

Before your ceremony you will also need to choose the device you intend to use and

check that your device has a camera and audio accessibility.

If using your mobile phone or tablet, download the ‘Cisco Webex Meetings’ application

from the Apple App Store or Google Play (for Android). If you have the option, we suggest

that during the ceremony your device is connected to Wi-Fi.

If using a laptop or personal computer, download the ‘Cisco Webex Meetings’ Desktop

App from the following link:

https://homeaffairs.webex.com/webappng/sites/homeaffairs/dashboard/download

Join the WebEx meeting

To join the meeting scroll to the end of this email and click on the green ‘Join Meeting’

button or enter the meeting number (access code) and meeting password.

Do not use the phone numbers listed under ‘Join by phone’ to join the Webex meeting.

Calling these numbers will not enable video communication which is a requirement for the

ceremony to proceed.

Identification

At the start of your ceremony you will need to show photo identification such as a drivers

licence or passport.

Citizenship Pledge

You will be required to repeat the below Citizenship Pledge out loud to your Presiding

Officer.

From this time forward, under God*,

I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people,

whose democratic beliefs I share,

whose rights and liberties I respect, and

whose laws I will uphold and obey.

*you may choose whether or not to use the words ‘under God’

Participation in the ceremony

Attendees should be visible on camera during the ceremony. For privacy reasons, digital

recording of your virtual citizenship ceremony is not permitted.

Dependent children included on your application are not required to attend the ceremony,

but they are welcome to join in.

If you experience IT issues during the ceremony

If the ceremony is interrupted with IT issues, and a new connection is unable to be made,

the Department will contact you to schedule another ceremony.

Australian citizenship certificate

You will receive your citizenship certificate by registered post within three weeks of your

ceremony.

If your residential and/or postal addresses have changed since your last contact with the

Department of Home Affairs, please ensure the details have been updated in

ImmiAccount.

After you become an Australian citizen

In Australia all Australian citizens aged 18 and over, must enrol and vote. This way you

can have your say on who represents you about issues that are important to you and your

community. To enrol to vote you need to complete the enrolment form included in your

citizenship certificate, and submit the form to the AEC online at:

https://www.aec.gov.au/enrol/send-form.htm

As an Australian citizen, you can apply for an Australian passport. We recommend that

you wait until you receive your citizenship certificate to apply. For more information, or if

you need to travel urgently, visit the website of the Australian Passport Office

www.passports.gov.au.

We look forward to celebrating your citizenship ceremony with you.

Citizenship and TIS Branch

Citizenship and Multicultural Programs Division

Citizenship and Social Cohesion Group

Department of Home Affairs

Virtual Ceremony mailbox – Auto response Thank you for your email and interest in online ceremonies. Due to the high demand for online citizenship ceremonies, responses may take up to three weeks. If your question is answered by the frequently asked questions below, you will not receive a further response. My Webex ceremony invitation disappeared after I accepted the meeting, what do I do? Depending on your email settings, once you click ‘accept’ on the ceremony meeting invitation, it will appear in your calendar. The Webex ceremony invitation email is then moved to the ‘deleted’ folder. I am having technical issues downloading or using Webex, where can I go for more information? If using your mobile phone or tablet, download the ‘Cisco Webex Meetings’ application from the Apple App Store or Google Play (for Android). If using a laptop or personal computer, download the ‘Cisco Webex Meetings’ Desktop App from the following link: https://homeaffairs.webex.com/webappng/sites/homeaffairs/dashboard/download If you encounter technical issues we suggest referring to the following articles on the Webex website:

Join a Webex Meeting https://help.webex.com/en-us/nrbgeodb/Join-a-Webex-Meeting

Sign-In Issues with Webex https://help.webex.com/en-us/n5q6x5j/Sign-In-Issues-with-Webex

Troubleshooting Meetings https://help.webex.com/en-us/WBX9000018881/Troubleshooting-Meetings

Need to update address or contact details? If your contact details have recently changed, please update them as soon as possible on your ImmiAccount or https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login. By updating your details through your ImmiAccount, the changes will be immediate. I have not been contacted by the Department, but can I have an online ceremony? There is currently a large number of people waiting for an Australian citizenship ceremony. As has always been the case, approved citizenship applicants are being invited to attend ceremonies in order of the date of their approval. During these unprecedented times, wait times for a citizenship ceremony may exceed six months from the date of citizenship approval. For further information on processing times for citizenship ceremonies, visit https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizenship/citizenship-processing-times There is no need to contact the Department or your local council to register your interest for an online citizenship ceremony. As you can appreciate, there is a high demand for online citizenship ceremonies and we ask that you be patient whilst we work hard to invite you to a ceremony as soon as possible. I need to become a citizen urgently, what do I do?

If your application has been approved and you believe that you have exceptional or compelling circumstances which require you to become an Australian citizen, please provide full details and supporting evidence to this email. Urgent cases will be reviewed and assessed as required. The following types of circumstances are not considered genuinely exceptional or compelling:

Your ceremony was cancelled by your local council.

Any circumstances relating to overseas travel which are not exceptional or compelling.

Consideration will be provided in the following limited circumstances:

Defence Force personnel who require Australian citizenship.

Clients who need to be an Australian Citizen to be employed for a job they have been offered.

Can I have an in-person ceremony? Following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions across a number of jurisdictions, small in-person citizenship ceremonies are being reintroduced. These ceremonies will comply with current state or territory directives on the limits on small gatherings, and meet COVIDSafe requirements. As has always been the case, approved citizenship applicants will be invited to attend in-person ceremonies in order of the date of their approval. There is no need to contact the Department or your local council about attending an in-person ceremony. Am I required to attend a ceremony within 12 months of my citizenship application being approved? Generally, conferees have 12 months from their notice of approval to attend a ceremony and make the pledge of commitment. However, during the COVID-19 period, citizenship approval will not be cancelled if a conferee cannot attend a ceremony within this 12 month period. For up to date information during COVID-19 please see our website: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizenship